Harvesters for harvesting peas and similar crops are well known. These harvesters usually have a rotary reel mounted at the front, with a plurality of tines fixed to the reel. As the harvester moves through the crops the reel rotates causing the tines to pull through the crop. The tines pull the plants away from the ground breaking the stems of the dry plants, or tearing the plant out of the ground.
If the plants being harvested are not sufficiently dry, or the stems are otherwise too strong, the tines of the harvester may pull through a portion of the crop without breaking the stems of the plants. This may leave that portion of the crop unharvested resulting in higher crop loss which can be costly to the farmer.